Day 3:  I spent most of the day by myself. Made an omelette and coffee, and ate my breakfast at the main house. Back in my studio, I continued to read McCarthy’s The Road. I listened to music and spaced out. I stared at the first six chapters of the novel. The pattern was circular. Four short, first-person POV, flash pieces and two longer pieces. I decided to take one of the longer pieces apart. I reworked the order of the first section and began to retype it. Around 1:30, I stopped and walked over to the main house for some lunch. Leftover chicken and avocado salad. I ate alone and then took a hike along the “Poetry Trail” behind the Millay House. The ground was still covered in snow.

 

I returned to my studio after the 45 minute hike and continued working on one of the longer pieces. I read some more The Road. I took queues from McCarthy’s approach. Fragmented, sequential pieces divided by section breaks. I composed a few new sections and incorporated a flash I had written about a seamstress. I also changed the names of characters. I cut out a husband from the story and made one of the main characters a single, but always romantically involved lady. The writing felt good. I was fleshing out and building a whole. I stopped at 7 and ate dinner with the rest of the residents. The conversation relaxed and playful. I headed back to my studio at 8:30. Re-read what I worked on earlier then called it a night around 1 AM and watched an episode of “Game of Thrones.”